When it comes to the A list, there is no such thing as a swoop. Transfers at the highest end of the market are protracted affairs, regardless of whether the player expresses a desire to move (witness Cristiano Ronaldo, right) or whether he keeps schtum throughout the process (as Zin?dine Zidane did, for months, before his world-record £48 million move from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001).

It is not surprising, therefore, that Chelsea have laid the groundwork to move decisively for Kak? next